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Posted on Aug 17, 2012, 6 a.m.
Demographic analysis suggests a link between the month of a person’s birth and his/her potential longevity.
University of Chicago (Illinois, USA) researchers suggest the intriguing possibility that the month in which you were born may associate with how long you might live. Leonid Gavrilov and Natalia Gavrilova analyzed data collected on 1,574 centenarians -- people who reached the age of 100 – living in the United States in the late 19th century. The team observed that those who were born between September and November from the years 1880 to 1895 had about a 40% higher chance of living to 100k, as compared to their siblings who were born in March. A similar month-of-birth pattern was found for centenarian spouses. While the study does not prove a cause-and-effect link, just an association, the study authors posit that: “These results support the idea of early-life programming of human aging and longevity. “
Gavrilov LA, Gavrilova NS. “Season of birth and exceptional longevity: comparative study of american centenarians, their siblings, and spouses.” J Aging Res. 2011;2011:104616.
